Luminescent screen



April 6, 1948- `F. H. N|co l 2,439,181

LUMINESCENT SCREEN Filed May 171i 1946 INVEN TOR.

Bl/@M irro/ewsy Patented Apr. 6, 1948 LUMINESCEN'B.` SCREEN Frederick H. Nicoll, Princeton, N. J., assignor to Radio Corporation ofAmerica, a corporation of Delaware Application May 17, 1946, Serial No. 670,427

9 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of improved phosphor-coated screens. More particularly, it relates to screens intended to be excited by light, or similar energy, of a selected wavelength as against screens designed to be exg with these phosphors. rated into the well known fluorescent lighting x tures, screens of cathode ray tubes, and viewing screens of television instruments, electron microscopes, and fluoroscopes. In most of these applications, however, a stream of electrons is the agent used to excite the phosphor and even fluorescent lighting fixture tubes use a source of excitation which is non-visible in the form oi ultraviolet light. Screens made according to the present invention may be adapted to most of the above uses and many others since, in a practical sense, they serve as light multipliers. Like other luminescent screens, they absorb radiations of the shorter wavelengths and emit light of longer wavelengths but since they concentrate the emitted rays in one desired direction, the result is that they appear to have greatly increased brightness compared to screens made by former methods.

One object `of the present invention is to provide an improved luminescent screen having an apparently multiplied light output.

Another object is to provide a luminescent screen utilizing a thinner coating of phosphors.

Another object is to provide a more efcient means of converting-energy into visible light.

Another object is to provide a more efiicient light filter.

Another object is to provide a means for obtaining an increased output of light of a certain desired wavelength in a desired direction.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the yart from a reading of the following specification and an inspection of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged cross section view of one example of a dichroic reflector suitable for use in the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section view of a "A Many uses have been found for screens coated Y They have been incorpo-- V'liti 2 screen illustrating one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view .of part of a screen illustrating a special use of the invention.

The invention may be illustrated in connection with a phosphor which emits yellow light and which may be excited with blue light. Such a phosphor material may be prepared by combining zinc, cadmium and sulfur ions in the desired proportions. One example of a suitable composition contains zinc sulde, 50 parts by weight, cadmium sulfide, 50 parts by weight and silver, 0.01 part by weight, the latter being an activator.

The preparation of the complete screen is as follows: As shown in Fig. 1, a dichroic reflector is first prepared which reflects yellow light but transmits blue light. This reflector can be prepared by the method described in the patent of Glenn L. Dimmick, No. 2,399,860, which is assigned to the present assignee. In this method, a number of very thin layers of two different materials having widely varying indices of refraction are deposited on a transparent glass surface by the method of vapor coating. In the form illustrated, a glass base I has deposited on its surface a number of coatings 1, 8, 9, lll, I l, which are alternately thorium oxyfluoride and zinc sulfide. By regulating the thickness of each layer according to the table shown in Fig. 2 of the above mentioned patent, a filter is obtained which reflects yellow light but transmits blue light. Another filter may be prepared using alternate layers of the same substances but which transmits yellow light and reflects blue light. This filter may have the thicknesses of the various layers corresponding to those shown in the table of Fig. 3 of the above mentioned patent.

These two dichroic filters are placed with their coated surfaces facing each other and between the two coated faces is placed a layer of the phosphor material. The completed screen is shown in Fig. 2 in which I and 5 are glass plates and 2 and d are the composite coatings of zinc sulfide and thorium oxyfluoride illustrated in Fig. 1. The layer of phosphor 3 is placed between the composite coatings 2 and 4.

The operation of this screen in producing an intensified yellow light is as follows: Blue light is allowed to enter the transparent glass plate at A, the filtering layer 2 being one which transmits blue light, allows the light to pass through unhindered. This light strikes the layer of phosphor 3 and yellow light is given oli in Iall directions. But the yellow light which is given olf in the `direction toward A is reflected back into the phosphor layer by the lter coating 2 which reflects yellow light. This reflected light plus the light which would be given oi in the direction toward B is allowed to pass through the illter layer i which transmits yellow light and thence goes out through the glass plate 5 as shown by the arrow B. The layer of phosphor 3 may be made quite thin for the sake of eici'ency. Ordinarily, a thin` coating ofi the phosphor would not besuicient toconvertl all or the impinging blue light into yellow light. But in this case the blue light which is not convertedf on its rst passage through the phosphor. is-.rev5 iiected back by the dichroc iilter layer 4 until substantially all of it is convertedf intofyellow light. Y Thus, a very thin layer-of'phosphor may.v be used to convert substantially al1 of the light of one wavelength into lightl of. another waves length.

For maximum efficiency, the thickness: of' the phosphor layer must be optimum. This will Vary in different' instances but arlayer `ha-vinga Weight of 50 mg. per sq. cm, has proven satisfactory.

In an ordinarysystem, using no dichr'oic iilters, a muchthicker layer; of;y phosphor wouldfbe-used. Thel thicker screen would. also f enable ahigh' percentage of 'conversion of blue into. yellowilight but thel thicker screen causes much greater-loss. of yellowlight by'absor-ption. Usingiasystemas il= lustratedA according: tofthepresent invention; ap'- proximately four. times asmuchlight output can be obtained as from a system; using. no'dichroic lters. Y

The system is, oicourse, notlimitedtouse of phosphorsiwhich absorb" blue light and emit. yellow light. Anyrphosphor can. be" used. emitting any color for which corresponding dichroic'y reflectors can be made. Dichroic reflectors-caribe made which transmitia'maximumof energyhave ing almost any desired wavelength inthe visible and nearevisible portions of: the spectrum as taught: by. Dimmick intheA previously' mentioned patent aswell as'inDimmick Patent No..2422;954'.

The invention is also. not limited? tozuse of phos1- phors' which must bei excited by visible wave;-

` lengths of light but can' also be used iorincreasing the light output from phos-phors;v which emit stored". energy' onf exposure tof infraredY light.. In this case; the light emitted. b'y the phosphor is usually yellow' or red yellow; The' reiiectoron the side exposed to theinfrared: rays should be transmitting in the infrared but. reflecting' inthe yellow The.` other.' dichroic. reflectorv should be reiiecting in the infrared and transmitting in the yellow. Screens used in. this manner usually iirst havethe phosphor' layerirradiated with light of' visible wavelength in' orderk to` first store up energy which is later to be released by excitation or the infrared energy.

Inr most types of practical applications'in which ak screen constructed according' to. thevprese'n't` inventionv may be used",.the exciting light-or infrared is focused on the surface: off the screen by means of a lens system. It may also.` be used,

however, where the exciting light is generate'dn Y another' phosphor by' electron bombardment and thus used to intensify the lightl outputoffl'uoroscope or television' viewing screens.. In this-embodiment', shown in Fig..3;.a layer. ofpho'sph'or' l2, which is to? provide the: exciting light. iss placed on: the side ofY theA screen; facing. A, Figi 2; In order: to intensify the light output' caused; by the electroni beam', a thin' coating off alun'iinum-` I3 isl placed? over the coating-- of phosphor'. In this ti-rtlanca. the transparent plate lf should he.l verfy principle| oi"L construction is the same.

Since dich'roic reflectors can also be constructed, which either transmit or reiiect a large proportion of ultraviolet energy and reect or transmit a corresponding complementary proportion of impinging light in the yellow portion of the spectrum, the invention can also be used to intensify the light output of some of those phosphors which are best excited by ultraviolet radiations. Thus, the invention allows the use of much thinner coatings of the phosphor and cuts down large light losses due to absorption.

There has thus been described an improved luminescent screen having greatly intensied light output. Regardless of the phosphor used the That is, the dichroic lte'r intended to be positioned on the side: oft the'screen facing the "exciting light, in other words the input side, should transmit th'e exciting wavelength and reect the wavelength of energy emitted by the phosphor. The dichroic filter to be positioned on the outputside ofthe screen should transmit th'e'emitted wavelength but reflect the exciting wavelength. In thecase of any particular dichroic lter, thewavelength ofi'maximum transmission is, in general, complementary to the wavelength:ofmaximumvreiiection or minimum transmission but there are exceptions to this rule.

Iclai'm-asvmy invention:

lf. A. luminescent screen comprising twoA dichroic reflectors, oneiofwhich-transmits'a max-i*- mum amount of venergy ofa first wavelength'and reiiecting a maximumamount of energy of a second wavelength, the second dichroic reector reiiecting amaximum amount of energyA oafy said firstl wavelength andV transmitting a maximum amount of energyfof said second wavelength and between` saiddichroic reflectors layer of a phosphor which emits light'v ofone I0i" said wave'- lengthsland can be excited'by energy ofv the other of said'w-avelengths.-

2; A- luminescent screen comprising in successive order ay dichroic reector which transmits light'- of a first wavelength but reilects light of a1 second wavelength, a phosphor which, when excited by light' oi said' first wavelength, emits light predominantly of? said second' wavelength and a: secondi di'cliroio reiiect'or which reflect-s lightV oi" said' first wavelength and transmits light of said second wavelength.

3. A' luminescent screen comprising a layer' of material which absorbs energy' ofv one wavelength and emits visible light energy of another Wavelength', saidmaterialhaving on either side two dichroic reflectors, one of which reflects light and' the other of whichA transmits light ofi said emitted wavelength.4

4. An apparatuscomprisingf an: exciting source ofv energy of a iirst' wavelength, facingVv said exciting source a dich'roic. reflector which transmits energy of said first wavelength but reiiects Visible light' energy of' a*V secondi wavelength, a layer' of phosphor on the side of. said dichroic reilector facing away `from said exciting source, said'. phosphor being capable of excitation by energy of said iirst. wavelength and capable of emitting light oi said second wavelength, and a second di'chrofic reiiector positioned against the other surface of said layer.` of phosphor, said seconddichroic reflector reflecting energy of'said rst wavelength but transmitting light energy of saidsecond' wavelength.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said exciting source comprises light within the blue range of the visiblesnectrum.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said exciting source comprises light within the blue range of the visible spectrum and in which said phosphor emits light within the yellow range.

7. A luminescent screen comprising two dichroic reflectors, the iirst of whichtransmits a substantial percentage of energy of a first wavelength and reflects a substantial percentage of energy of a second wavelength, the second dichroic reector reflecting a substantial percentage of energy of said rst Wavelength and transmitting a substantial percentage of energy of said second wavelength, and between said dichroic reflectors a layer of a phosphor which emits energy of one of said wavelengths when excited by energy of the other of said wavelengths.

8. A method of increasing effective light output of a phosphor in a desired direction, comprising passing energy of a rst wavelength through a dichroic reflector which characteristically transmits energy of said rst wavelength but reflects energy of a second wavelength, then v 6 passing the energy of said first wavelength into a layer of phosphor which converts said energy into light of said second wavelength, and finally passing said light through another dichroie reilector which characteristically transmits light energy of said second wavelength but reflects energy of said rst wavelength.

9. The method of claim 8 in which the energy of said rst wavelength is derived from a layer of phosphor which has [been excited by a stream of electrons.

FREDERICK H. NICOLL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

